


The Swan Prince

by Anonymous



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swan Princess (1994) Fusion, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Yep, you guessed it, a swan princess AU. So let's get some things straight (figuratively) Galra is a country in this because I'm unoriginal and nobody is purple. Also sorry if there are any inconsistencies in terms of royal politics, I'm only okay at plot. This only loosely follows the plotline of The Swan Princess because I love the sequence at the beginning and I wanted to write a story about it. This fic is anonymous because it's a breather between two big fics that I'm working on and I want it out there without having my name attached to it.





	The Swan Prince

Keith would say it began the night he and Lance announced their marriage, but that’s not quite right. To say it began there would be ignoring years of antagonism and growth, and eventually, love.

No, it began the day he was born, when his father formed and agreement with Allura, the queen of Altea, that he and Lance should spend every summer together, in hopes that they might fall in love. Of course, his father didn’t tell him that part when he was six, only to be on his best behaviour and to make new friends. Keith rehearsed his greeting the entire carriage ride there. Excited to finally meet someone outside of his kingdom.

But when they arrived and Keith had been introduced to Queen Allura, Lance refused to even greet him, he even stuck his tongue out!, His father and Allura sighed in exasperation, but Keith simply took it as a challenge. That summer he and Lance fought every moment they were together, squabbling over toys and wrestling in the royal gardens. His father and the Queen were not pleased, as he overheard from another room:

“Shiro, this is never going to work”

“Give them time. They’re only young”

“...I suppose you’re right”

When Keith was sent back to his kingdom in the fall, his father shoved him towards the Altean prince until they shook hands. He was even required to give a customary goodbye.

“It’s been a pleasure, prince Lance”, he delivered flatly

“The pleasure is all mine, Prince Keith”, and if possible he managed to sound even more insincere.

After that they parted ways, returning to regular life in their kingdoms. Lance met a boy named Hunk, and soon became his best friend. Keith met a girl named Pidge, and they bonded over dry humor and the grumpy kitchen manager constantly kicking them out. After months had passed, they both began to dread the summer. A time of forced civility and quiet aggression. 

It would always start off the same, with their parents forcing them together for a handshake, and them mumbling released greeting that they didn’t mean. Keith just thought the boy was exhausting, flirting with every woman in the kingdom before he turned ten. Their time together was tense, silent apart from occasional insults and the following forced apologies demanded by their parents. When Keith is eight and supposed to be sleeping in Alluras castle, he hears his father and Allura speak again.

“It’s been two years Lura, maybe we should give it a rest?”

“No. Like you said, they are young. They will learn to get along”

Keith snorted and then ducked out of the doorway when his father turned around. But it was too late.

“Keith, is that you?”

He sighs, and mumbles a weak, “Yes”

He asked why his father and Queen Allura were so hung up on he and Lance getting along when they clearly have nothing in common. His father struggles for an answer for a moment before his eyes light up.

“Prince Lance is just like those rubik's cubes you love, he’s a puzzle. You just haven’t figured him out yet. Remember Keith, what do I always say?”

He sighed again, “Patience yields focus”

His father brightened, “Exactly, now get to bed. You have an early day tomorrow.”

That day consisted of Lance being thrown off a horse and Keith laughing at him. But Keith could never get what his father had said that night out of his head, or perhaps it was his heart where the mantra stuck the most.

Keith leaves, he and Lance give dry goodbyes, Keith curtseys because it’s a custom of the Galra for everyoe, but Allura tells him that in their culture only girls do that, and Keith can see Lance snickering as soon as they pull away from the castle. He can’t help but think that the Altean prince will be a terrible diplomat.

The months pass, Keith learns that Pidges brother is a knight, Matt. And that her father is a nobleman. She teaches him how to play monopoly and laughs when he loses multiple times, and at his face when he finally realizes she was cheating.

His pleading with his father is becoming desperate years later. “Dad, I’m twelve now, I have friends and more responsibility than ever. Do we have to go to Altea this summer?”, he whines.

His father simply shakes his head and turns back to his paperwork, “It’s for the best Keith”

Keith might close the door a little too hard on his way out.

That summer Keith vaguely notices that Lance has gotten taller and broader. Lance may or may not vaguely notice that Keith’s hair is swept back into a ponytail and few strands hang down, framing his face prettily. Lance kisses Keith's hand and exaggerates retching for moments afterwards, earning an eye roll from the latter. 

Keith also interacts with Queen Allura outside of stiff formalies after he slides down the railing with Lance chasing after him. “Keith! that’s dangerous you know.”

Keith nearly falls over at the queen standing behind him, if he had known she was here, he wouldn’t have been running around her castle screaming bloody murder at her son. “Apologies, your majesty”, he bows deeply, knowing now that is the way they do things here. 

She huffs a laugh, “None of that, call me Allura.”, she leads him to a table set up with biscuits and several kinds of drink. 

“Would you like some tea?”, she asks. But it’s less like a question and more like a demand. 

“I would love some, Allura”, she beams and pours him a cup, they make idle chit chat about the weather and how Keith is doing in school. Allura’s warm presence puts him at ease enough to relax, something he hasn’t done frequently in this castle.

“Is it hard governing the entire nation on your own?”, he asks gently, careful not to pry. He always wondered if it was truly very difficult for her.

“Well, hopefully I won’t be on my own much longer”, she gives him a knowing look. And then it clicks.

“Are you marrying my father?!”

Allura chokes on her tea. “Heavens no. I only meant...never mind Keith, run along now, I’m sure you have things to do”

He doesn’t, as a matter a fact. But gets roped into a card game with Hunk and Lance, with Hunk laughing at his best friend by the end.

“How do you keep winning?”, Lance demands.

Keith shrugs innocently. “Beginners luck”

Lance and Hunk built a treehouse that summer, and put up a sign that says ‘No Galrans Allowed’. Keith simply slumps against a tree and waits for dinner to have some human interaction.

When they say goodbye that summer, it seems more bored than venomous, more resigned, Lance even shoots him a half smile, “Here’s to not killing each other another year”

He sees Queen Allura give his father a look that looks an awful lot like ‘I told you so’, but before Keith can question it, they’re off again, headed back to Galra for another school year. 

That year Pidge, despite Keith's protests, keeps trying to get Keith a boyfriend. His father is strangely opposed to the idea, but Keith supposes that’s only natural, after all he is pretty young, and a prince. He has other responsibilities. Each year they return to Alluras castle, and each year antagonism turns more and more towards friendship. When Keith is fifteen, he is running late to the carriage that goes to Altea.

“Sorry, sorry.”, he says to his father while hopping in swiftly. His father simply smiles and shakes his head.

“If I’m not mistaken, you seem excited to go”, he says with an amused lilt to his voice.

Keith slumps into his seat, “You are most certainly mistaken”

That year Lance kisses his hand again, but doesn’t retch immediately afterward, simply allows his gaze to linger on Keith's face for a moment longer than usual. Lance goes crimson and turns away while Keith stifles a giggle into his hand.

So far that summer, Keith is flat out bored whenever Hunk and Lance are out doing god knows what, they called it, ‘Best Friend Stuff’, whatever that is supposed to mean. He’s bored okay, so he starts flirting with the guards, it doesn’t mean anything. But it infuriates Lance an insane amount, which amuses Keith an insane amount. 

“It’s so unprofessional!”, The Altean exclaims in Hunk’s general direction later that night.

“I think you kinda like him dude”, Hunk replies, sounding bored with the subject already. Everyone knew that Shiro and Allura were preparing them for marriage except seemingly, the two princes.

Lance grumbles, “I’d like him better if he lost at cards”

Keith does not now how he keeps beating Lance at poker, and blackjack, and even go fish. And also bullshit, even though Keith is a terrible liar. After losing for the tenth time in a row, Lance tackles his opponent jokingly and it becomes a not very aggressive wrestling match. Eventually resulting in Keith straddling Lance as they both struggle to breathe through their laughter.

Lance sits up and they have a very uncomfortable moment where Keith is just sitting on his lap before the Galran boy stands up quickly and pulls Lance to his feet. Maybe it’s then that something shifts in their dynamic

Weeks later, Keith thinks that Lance is an idiot when he unlocks the observatory room of the castle and lets Keith in without permission. “We could get caught”, Keith whisper yells at his irresponsible counterpart. 

Lance simply shrugs, “That’s the fun of the whole thing”, he replies in an unbothered tone, continuing into the room until he is seated at the couch in the center. He pats the seat next to him in hopes that the frowning boy in the doorway will take the hint and sit next to him. Thankfully, he does.

Keith thought it was stupid to come here, that it was immature. But he can see thousands of galaxies in the night sky, he can see planets he’s only read about and seen in dreams. And nobody is there to see it, so he’d say he didn’t, but maybe he leans a little more into Lances side. And maybe Lance slings an arm around him and thinks that the only thing he wanted to see for the rest of his life was galaxies reflected in those purple eyes. Maybe.

That year, when they say goodbye, Keith is thrilled he will be able to see Pidge and Matt again, but sad about leaving Lance, so when the time to go comes, Keith opts for a hug instead of a low bow, wrapping his arms around Lances neck. Lance freezes for a moment before wrapping his around Keith's waist. Keith sees Allura give Shiro that look again, but this time he can’t say it’s completely unwarranted.

On the carriage ride home, Keith's father raises a sly eyebrow at him. Keith narrows his eyes. “What?”

His father shrugs, “It’s nothing”

Keith knows what it is, but they don’t discuss it on that carriage ride. This time Keith can only think about Lance's arms around him, and maybe a little bit about how handsome the Altean prince had gotten over the years. 

The following summer their friendship blossoms into something more, when Keith is sixteen, he tells Pidge the full story. She smirks, “You loooove him”

He sputters. “I do not!”

She laughs, “You want to marry him and have his children”

Keith's already red cheeks grow hotter. “I’m fairly sure that’s not possible, also, shut up!”

She cackles into the night while Keith thinks about actually being married to Lance, he hasn’t even kissed the guy. God, he should not let his mind wander to kissing Lance, he wonder what that would be like exactly. Gentle and soft?, or would Lance run his fingers through Keith's hair and push him up against a wall. The galran prince shivers at the thought, and banishes it to the very back of his mind. 

Of course, when Keith turns seventeen, his father tells him about the merger. He and Lance are to marry and unite the kingdoms. Keith’s first reaction is anger.

“So you mean this whole time..you’ve been trying to what? Marry me off?. This is ridiculous.”

His father puts his face into his palms and sighs. “I’m very sorry Keith, but you were only children then, we couldn’t tell you so young. At least take the night to think about it”

Keith doesn’t respond and storms out of the room, his first thought is to call Pidge, but that doesn’t seem right, so he picks up a pen and starts writing a letter, to Altea. It goes something like this:

"Dear, Lance

So, I hear we have to get married. It’s a merger for our kingdoms, I know Allura has probably already informed you. But we should talk.

Sincerely, Keith."

Keith mails the letter that night, only a little dissapointed that he couldn’t think of anything else to say, and by the next day he receives one in response (the Altean mail system is amazingly fast)

"Dear Keith, 

Yes, my mother has informed me, and while I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea. I would love to have a discussion about it with you this summer.

Love, Lance."

Keith reads the letter, again, and again, and again. He couldn’t believe that Lance had said ‘I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea’. Why not?, did he want to marry Keith?. Keith hid the letter underneath his mattress and tried to forget about that summer, he focused on his schoolwork. He sttudied and tried to get his mind off it, but it was evident something was off, so one day Pidge asked.

“Are you upset about marrying Lance?”

Keith whips his head off his desk and hisses, “How do you know about that?”

She shrugs, “Everyone in the kingdom suspected a merger since they first started shipping you off for the summer. I just never thought you would go for it”

He gapes, and Pidge raises an eyebrow at him, “Would you go for it?”

Keith flounders for a moment before regaining speech, “Of course not!, you think I would marry someone I’m not even dating?”

Pidge glances at him from the side, “I don’t. But it seems like you.. Love him?, I don’t know Keith, but there’s something there.”

He huffs, and Pidge continues her work in silence. Keith thinks about the letter again, and how Lance had written ‘Love’ at the end, did he mean that?, or was that just how he signed letters?

The months passed, and summer arrived again, this time Keiths father insisted that he at least tried to look nice. He lets Pidges friend, Nyma, do his hair. She’s sweet and only asks once or twice why his father is trying so hard. Keith simply makes a noncommittal sound every time, but Nyma gives him a knowing look in the mirror. She puts his hair half up half down in a way that should look lazy but somehow seems formal. Nyma laughs, “Thank god we got rid of the mullet”

Keith puts on the fancy clothes laid out on his bed (which hasn’t happened since he was six, by the way). And hops into the carriage exactly on time. He avoids eye contact with his father, they haven’t been on the best terms since he had announced the merger. The king clears his throat. “I know you’re angry with me”

Keith still avoids eye contact. His father sighs, he seems to be doing that a lot lately, “It’s the only way to bring bring peace to our kingdoms Keith….And, I didn’t think you’d be that upset about it, considering how well you and Lance have gotten along these past few years.”

Keith feels his whole face heat up. And turns to look his father in the eyes, “He’s my friend dad, I don’t want to marry him.”

The king's face seems to fall but brightens up shortly after. “Well, you two have the whole summer to think about it”

Keith falls asleep for the rest of the carriage ride, not dreaming about Altean boys and royal weddings.

Lance had been pacing for hours before the carriage came, running around the castle, fixing things that didn’t have to be fixed. But now Keith and his father are pulling up to the castle, and the Altean prince feels like he might be sick. His mother puts a steady hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay Lance, it’s only Keith, you two are friends.”, right, friends. Even when Lance so desperately wanted them to be more.

When Keith exits the carriage and starts strolling towards them with King Shiro, he meets Lance’s eyes for a few moments before fixing his gaze on the ground, his face flushing. Keith's father nudges him forward to go greet Lance and his mother, it’s in that moment that he makes eye contact with Lance, and almost falls on his ass.

Keith falls forward and Lance catches him by his arms, so that their faces are within a breath of each other. Keith straightens up quickly. “Um, it’s a pleasure to be here”

Lance bows, “It’s a pleasure you could come”

Keiths father and Allura go back into the castle while he and Lance make their way to the gardens, they make pleasant conversation, but both have the same thing on their minds.

“What are we going to do about the merger?”, Lance blurts out.

Keith raises an eyebrow, “Was that a proposal?”

The Altean flushes, “No, I I-...was that an acceptance?”

The other prince bites his lip, an (adorable), nervous habit that Lance had noticed. “Give it a couple months loverboy, then we’ll see”

That summer, Keith felt as though he was seeing Lance with new eyes, also, was Lance training with the guards or something?, because he was freaking ripped. Okay, maybe ripped was an overstatement, but he was seeing Lance through what his father would call, ‘love goggles’. The first week in, Lance brings Keith back to the observatory, and tells him he shines brighter than any star. 

It’s so cheesy and dumb and what choice does Keith have but to grab Lance by the lapels of his jacket and kiss him. The kiss is slow, unsure, and sweet. Lance eventually sets the pace, and pulls the Galran forward by his hips, into his lap. Keith laughs, and Lance glances at him, “What’s so funny”

“Nothing, nothing...it’s just deja vu”

Lance chuckles and they go back to exchanging lazy kisses beneath the starry skies, thinking things that they would never say out loud. The rest of the summer continues that way, a silent romance finding its way into both of their lives. And when Lance asks about the merger again, Keith has they same response.

“Is that a proposal?”, but this time his tone is less teasing. More genuine, hopeful.

“Is that an acceptance?”

Keith looks into Lances eyes, and suddenly he can see his future. He wants to spend the rest of his life with this boy. So he says, “Yes”

Lance kisses him fiercely, and they both fall off the bench that they were sitting on and collapse into laughter. Lance pulls a ring from his back pocket and slides it into his new fiances finger, “I didn’t want to do it so fast but it’s-”, Keith cuts him off with a kiss.

“It’s for Altea. I understand”, he smiles, and Lance feels his heart melt. They rush off to inform their parents immediately. 

Their parents are not surprised, but they are thrilled. Allura sends out a message for an engagement ball that night, and sends the boys off to the tailor. While the couple is gone, Shiro and Allura have another chat.

“I told you so!”, she cackles at her exasperated friend.

“Yes. You were right Allura”

“Can I get that in writing?”

Shiro laughs, and the two fall into comfortable silence. Until Allura speaks up softly, “When we were young, did you ever think that this would be us?, getting married I mean”, she looks wistful.

“Maybe”, the king admits. “But you had Victor-”

“And you had isobel, I know.”, Allura finishes. “I’m glad we stayed friends Shiro.”

He places a hand on his friends shoulder, and thinks about the years to come, with their kingdoms merged through their sons marriage. In that moment, the two boys burst through the door. Shiro and Allura duck into a separate room

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Look at this suit Lance, I must’ve accidentally said red instead of black, ah, fuck me.”, Keith curses, thinking of ways to contact the tailor.

Lance raises his eyebrows, “I mean, if you insist”

Keith glares daggers at him, “That’s not what I meant, you ass”

Lance laughs loudly. “I know, calm down. I told them to make it red”

“Why?”

“Because the colour scheme of the whole thing is purple, and if my suit is blue then..”

“That’s...surprisingly sweet”

“Get used to it babe, I’m a sweet guy”

“Shut up”

Allura emerges from behind a door, “Ah, boys. Get ready, the ball begins in less than an hour”

They run to get changed as the guests who have arrived early file into the ballroom, Allura offers them tea, she does not say how rude it is to show up early to a ball, but she thinks some venomous thoughts at them, in a way queens often do. When her son comes in, he’s ten minutes late and has a cowlick in his hair. She smooths it down and calms his nerves, he thrives in social settings, but sometimes he needs that extra push.

Shortly afterward, Keith slides down the railing and sprints into the ballroom, Lance thinks that he’s never seen something so graceful. Keith appears at Lances side, and they begin greeting the guests.

After everyoen has arrived, Keith feels an arm snake around his waist and smiles despite himself, Lance whispers into his ear, “You wanna dance?”, he nods. And soon he is being led around in a traditional Altean dance that makes his head spin with all of it’s twirling and lifting.

Eventually, the ballroom winds down to a simple waltz, and Keith feels like he and Lance are the only ones in the room. He looks up at his partner and says, “Do you really think we’re ready for this?”

“Of course”

“Why?”

Lance chuckles and kisses his future husbands nose, “You’re beautiful”

Keith hums, “What else?”

This is one of those moments, where if Lance could travel back in time, he would have said, “Your unfailing kindness and bravery, the way you sound when you laugh, how you call me on my bullshit and it feels like we complete each other”, but because this is one of those moments, where you severely fuck up and lose something amazing, he says, 

“What else is there?”

Keith stares at him for a few moments before stepping out of Lances grip. “What else is there?”, he repeats, sounding stunned.

The Altean prince nods, not fully comprehending what he’s doing.

Lance realizes that Keith has tears in his eyes, but before he can ask what’s wrong, violet eyes turn to him full of anger but also hurt. He can’t move.

“I can’t believe I was so completely wrong about you, I-I thought you grew up. You’re still so vain. Beautiful isn’t love Lance”, Keith hisses at the stunned boy in front of him before running out of the ballroom. Hunk, who had been dancing with his girlfriend, Shay, nearby, lightly smacked Lance over the head. 

“‘What else is there?’, what the hell Lance?”

“I know okay!, I panicked.”

That mistake proved to be bigger than Lance had anticipated, Keith still agreed to the merger. But didn’t want to see Lance until then, it was for their kingdoms after all. 

When they say goodbye that summer, it’s sad, for everyone. The other night Keith had overheard Shiro and Allura speaking again. 

“Maybe it’s not too late, they’re still young”

“Allura, Keith has made up his mind, we will be returning to Galra in the morning”

“I am sorry it has to end this way, dear friend”

“Me too”

Keith considered talking to his father about the issue, but he would ask Keith to forgive Lance, to stay in Altea with him. He can’t do that right now, can’t pretend to be happy. Lance isn’t a puzzle, he’s no enigma, he’s one sided and vain. He’s conceited. He still loves Lance, but the Altean Prince doesn’t even know what love is! It was stupid to engage in...whatever this was with him. Keith will return home, finish his schooling. And then he would see Lance again, in a year, to complete the merger. For his people. 

“Goodbye, Prince Keith”, Lance says, trying to catch Keith's eyes.

The shorter boy keeps his expression blank and fixed somewhere over Lance’s shoulder. “Goodbye, Prince Lance”

The carriage ride home is bleak, Keith looking miserable and his father looking disappointed. Keith hated it when he looked like that, especially because he was usually the cause. 

“Look, dad-”

“It’s fine Keith, I don’t need to know what happened”

“I just really think you should-”

Keith is cut off by the carriage abruptly screeching to a stop, His father looks concerned. “Stay here, I’ll go see what happened.”

Not wanting upset his dad any further, Keith stays put. Until a yell sounds from outside the carriage. He sees his father checking the pulse of their carriage driver, and the horses have run off. What is going on?, “Dad?”

“I told you to stay there!”

A man with purple skin starts coming up behind his father, he speaks in a nasal voice with an accent Keith can’t quite place. “Hello Shiro, long time no see”

“You were banished Lotor. I command you to leave!”, Keith's father yells.

“You killed my father Shiro.”

“You killed half the kingdom Lotor!”

“And my only regret, was that I only got to do it once”

Keith finds his voice. “Get away from my father.”

Lotor laughs, he whispers something to the woman in a dark hood next to him, and his father vanishes. “No!”, he cries. But Lotor just keeps laughing. “What have you done with him?”

Lotor leans close to Keith, “He is alive, relax, beautiful. Aren’t you supposed to be married today?”

Images of Lance fill Keith's mind, but he shakes them out, “No”

The man suddenly appears behind the prince, “Do you want your father back?”

“Yes!”

“Then marry me, my sweet. We could rule the world together”

Keith thinks for a moment, about what his dad, the king, would want him to do, and about what he wants to do. “No, never.”

“Never is a strong word, pretty one. I know this isn’t a big romantic proposal but-”

“I will never marry you”

Lotor grimaces, “We shall see”, and turns to the witch, “Haggar, what do you think?, a toad?, a horse?”

The witch smiles, and Keith vaguely thinks it’s the ugliest thing he’s ever seen. “A Swan” 

Lotor laughs, it’s hideous. “A swan!, excellent”

Keith feels the ground getting closer, and his body feels different. He finally registers that the witch has turned him into a swan when he’s dropped into a lake. Lotor tells him the conditions of his curse.

“Every night when the moon hits this lake, you will be human again, but only for the night. When daylight comes, you will turn back into a swan”

Keith tries to gasp, but he’s a fucking swan, so it sounds more like a honk. Lotor chuckles, Keith wonders if this guy has any other emotions other than sadistically amused. Lotor looks at the Galran in pity, which only makes him angrier.

Before, he leaves, Lotor says, “You know, if you married me, you could be human forever”

Keith simply turns away. Lotor huffs and walks off.

So, Keith thought it began at the engagement, but wherever it began, he ended up here, in a lake, as a swan. So, the prince does what anyone would do in this situation, he cries. A lot. Give him a break okay? it’s been a bad day. He cries until the sun comes up and he is stuck as a swan. 

In the morning, he learns he wasn’t the only one who was transformed. He had attempted communication with every other living creature around the lake, but all of them seem to be animals, who weren’t formally people that is. He sees a pidgeon, which is not native to this region appear over his head.

“Psst”

He looks up, “Were you cursed too?”. Keith nods.

He responds, “You can talk?”

The pidgeon coos, and then flys over the Lake at floats at eye level. “Yes, but I think we’re the only ones who can understand each other.”

“Why did he curse you?”, Keith asks. Assuming he’s not going crazy, and the pidgeon is actually another cursed person.

“I received a distress signal on the carriage path, but when I arrived, there was this scary purple guy there, I drew my sword, but before I could do anything his witch turned me into a pidgeon. Said it matched my eyes.”

“That’s terrible”

“Why did he curse you?”, asks the pidgeon.

“Well, it’s a whole complicated ordeal with my father, but mostly because I refused to marry him”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?”

“I was kidding, my delivery is really off in the body of a pidgeon”

Keith and the Pidgeon talk for a while, he learns that her name is Shay, and that she is a knight. Also, she knows Hunk too, so there’s a connection. “Are you Altean?”

She nods, “Yeah, you?”

He shakes his head, “I’m Galra”

When the moon comes up, Keith goes into a spot on the lake where it shines most brightly. And in a strange swirl of water, he’s human again. So is Shay, she is tall and has piercing gray eyes that light up in surprise when she sees him.

“You’re the prince!”, she yells. 

“Yes?”

“You didn’t think that was important to mention?”

“...I guess not”

Keith spends a while just being human, readjusting to his features. Until Lotor shows up, “Considering my offer yet?”

“How do I break your stupid curse?”

“An act of true love, prince. Good luck with that, no one will ever find you out here. Now let me re phrase my question. Would you like to die a swan, or live a wonderful life with me?”

Shay steps forward, “Leave him alone”

Lotor simply instructs his witch to turn Shay back into a pidgeon, she complies. Keith turns to the lavender-skinned man, “I will never love you, you’re a monster.”, he spits.

“Well, that’s a shame. Enjoy the lake.”, he walks away unaffected, Keith runs to check on Shay. 

He runs her over for injuries, but can’t understand her while he is human and she is not. That night he thinks to himself, “An act of true love?”, Who would do that for him. Maybe Lance before Keith tore out of a ballroom in front of all his family and friends, but certainly not now. He falls into a dreamless sleep on the wet grass outside the lake. 

Meanwhile, in Altea, Lance is not dealing with the ‘Keith and his father went missing’ thing too well. “Hunk, we have to find them.”

“You heard your mom Lance, no one leaves Alteas borders”

Lance shoots another arrow at the target, dead center. And turns to his best friend, “Don’t you want to find Shay?”

Hunks face falls, “Of course I do, you don’t think I would be staying here if I didn’t?, I’m doing this for her. She always listened to queen Alluras orders, and so should you”

“I have to find him...them I mean”

“Tell me this isn’t about Keith again”

“It’s not!, it’s about justice.”

“...”

“Okay, maybe it’s about him a little. But I mean, can you blame me, it’s not my fault I’m in love with the guy”

“You’ve never said that to me before”

“I asked him to marry me Hunk”, Lance replies dryly.

“What?, I always figured he’d asked you”

“And why is that?”

“Just a general ‘I’m a badass who gets what I want’ vibes, you know?”

“Did you forget our entire childhood?”

“Hey, he was cool the whole time, I was just waiting for you to come around”

“He flirted with the guards!”

“Can you blame him? Antonio is hot”

Lance huffs and goes to retrieve his arrows, Keith may not love him anymore (although he totally does, that doesn’t go away after just one fight) but Lance is willing to do anything to be with him, or at least make sure he is safe, and happy. He has an idea, “Hunk, tonight we’re going into the forest tonight”

“Lance..”, he starts in a warning tone.

“I know, okay. But where else does a monster hide out super hot partners? in the forest!, duh.”, Upon seeing Hunk frown, Lances tone shifts to pleading. “I have to find out if he’s okay Hunk, please. If they’re not there, I’ll do anything you want”

“I want you to not go into the forest”

“I’ll do almost anything you want”

“....Fine.”

 

After a few days of being in the lake, Keith and Shay have discovered that Lotor visiting was a one time thing. Shay suggests that they should see how far they can get from the lake each night, as humans. Keith agrees, of course. Because Shay is much smarter than he is, and because he’s desprate to know where they are.

“Okay, sprint as fast as you can to the right and as far around as possible, and then when the sun begins to rise, meet back here”, Shay orders. The Galran nods. Shay’s face brightens, “Alright, no fear.”

“What?”, Keith asks. Shay shrugs, “It’s something my team says before we go on missions.”

They both take off in a different direction, breathing heavily after a few minutes, Keith feels his legs begin to scream in protest, but he continues at his frantic pace. Trying to identify something, anything, that will tell him where he is, scanning the trees and grass to see plants native to a certain region. 

He runs into something solid, which he assumes is a tree, great. Before falling onto the ground, saying some choice words that his father wouldn’t approve of. He hears a familiar voice above him. 

“Sorry man, here let me-”

He glances up at the person, “Hunk!”

Hunk’s eyes widen, “Oh my god, Keith?”

The prince nods frantically, and begins gasping through an explanation of his situation, “Lotor-curse-swan...Shay-lake”, Hunk puts a hand on the shorter boys shoulder.   
“Dude, slow down”, Keith takes a breath.

“A witch turned me into a swan by order of her….boss?, Lotor. And he wanted me to marry him, but I said no, obviously. So now I’m stuck as a swan until the moonlight hits the lake, and Shay is with me too, same situation, but she’s a pidgeon”

Hunk nods, looking pained. “Forever?”, he whispers. Keith shakes his head.

“Not technically, an act of true love reverses it. That’s some fairytale shit, I know, but that’s what Lotor said”

“Take me to the lake”

Keith nods, and guides his friend through the forest to the lake he has come to regard as his prison. He explains everything about his fathers capture to Hunk. And after that, they walk in silence. It’s comfortable, it reminds Keith of the rare times during the summer that Lance would stop with the constant antagonism, and he and Hunk would have a moment to talk without he pretense of disliking each other. 

Speaking of Lance, “He hates me right?”

Hunk looks caught off guard by the sudden question, “Who?, Lance?.”

Keith lowers his head, and nods. That’s when Hunk starts laughing.

“I’m sorry, but, he’s so crazy about you, I’ve been listening to his pining for years. Aren’t you the one who was mad anyways?”

“But I reacted like a crazy person!, I left. I could have at least talked to him before I left.”

“It was understandable, and dude, I think you have bigger things to worry about”

The smaller boy nods, and checks the sky to make sure that the sun hasn’t begun to rise, peeking between the spaced out leaves into moonlight. And the rest of the walk towards the lake is spent in somewhat comfortable silence. 

When the boys arrive back, Shay is waiting, pacing back and forth. Her eyes widen when she sees Hunk, and she immedietly runs to her boyfriend. Looping her arms around his neck and asking a million questions, before turning to Keith.  
“How did you find him?”

“I actually just ran into him”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously”

Shay laughs wetly and buries her face in Hunk’s chest, but pulls away quickly. “If Lotor finds out you know where we are, you’ll be cursed too. Go, come back when you can-”

Hunk cuts her off, “Shay, will you marry me?”

She gasps, “What? Here?”

The taller boy smiles at his paramour, and takes her hand in his, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if it means being stuck in a lake forever as a frog, I’m willing to do that. I would do anything for you”

Keith sees Shay begin to wobble a bit on her feet before Hunk wraps an arm around her waist, beaming at her. She nods frantically, before peppering his face with kisses.

“Yes! I love you, I will always love you. No matter what, I would do anything for you”

Just as a tear falls from her eye and slides down her face, she is suddenly wrapped in a warm yellow glow, floating about an inch off the ground. Once the glow fades Hunk whispers, “What was that?”

And before she can supply an answer, Keith responds, sounding shocked, “An act of true love”

Shay beams brightly before engulfing her fiance in a bear hug that almost causes both of them to topple onto the ground. They smile and Keith is left with an astonished look on his face as they embrace.

Shay lightly removes herself from the arms around her to face the Galran. “Keith, I will find Lance. We will bring him to you, and you’ll be free too!”

He nods, “You two leave, before you’re cursed again”

Shay gives him a bone-crushing hug and races off through the woods with Hunk. Keith is left wondering if he’ll ever get that. And the silence of the lake feels especially lonely without Shay that day as he transforms back into a swan. 

Keith floats up and down the lake, changing back and forth, waiting. For upwards of two weeks, thinking to himself, being very, very bored. He can’t help but reminince to before he screwed it all up with Lance before he was cursed or had even heard about a merger. 

Lance used to have an annoying habit of picking him up, it was very annoying at the time. The Altean would often tell him he was “so freaking tiny” (Only by 2 inches!) as an excuse for this behavior. But as time passes, Keith begins to miss the silly little things that Lance would do. 

His father also occupies a large part of his mind, never knowing if the king is dead or alive brings a chill to Keith’s bones each time it crosses his mind. 

Part of him just wants to leave the stupid lake, but with visits from Lotor asking from his hand in marriage (As well as the constant rejection) and wondering if Shay and Hunk will bring Lance, he never gets around to it. Instead opting to drive himself crazy with wondering what is happening in his friends lives at the moment. He wonders if Pidge ever asked out the girl she liked, or if Matt ever finished his chemistry project. He hadn’t had contact with either of them all summer, he never did, but they were invited to the wedding. 

A horrible thought comes to him one night as he sits on a boulder, looking up at the sky ‘everyone probably thinks I’m dead’. 

He holds onto sanity with the thought of his friends and family to get him through, waiting for him to come home. 

Meanwhile, in Altea, Hunk is only a little bit conflicted, all right, that’s a lie. Queen Allura is super scary, and even though Lance is his best friend, he and Shay feel an obligation to tell the queen about the curse and the lake before they tell Lance. But she is awfully hard to get ahold of, being a queen and all, she is very busy.

Finally, Shay manages to get a private audience with the queen, but Hunk is so nervous, that he kind of word vomits everything Keith told him. About the curse and such.

“-And you probably don’t believe in magic or anything like that but I figured you should know that Keith is a swan I mean, it’s pretty crazy. Especially because he’s our only chance at a merger with the Galra, and you know-”  
The queen cuts off Hunk’s rambling with a look, before turning to Shay. “You were cursed too?”

Shay swallows thickly, “As a...pidgeon, Ma’am”

Allura nods, “I understand, Haggar is a truly terrible witch, she wreaked havoc on the kingdom for some time before my father banished her”she twists her face at the mention of the woman's name, “And this is how you put it ‘pretty crazy’. As well as that, Keith is more than an opportunity for peace. He has spent every summer here since he was a child, I’ve become quite fond of him. So has Lance.”

She stares at Hunk with a piercing, ice blue stare, “You said an act of true love?”

He nods.

She sighs, a look of understanding dawning on her face. “Send my son, bring him to the lake with you. Shay, make sure no harm comes to him”

Shay bows, “Yes, your majesty”

 

Meanwhile, Keith sulks around the lake illuminated only by the moon and only kept company by his own thoughts. He tries to communicate with the wildlife, but when he is in human form, they are afraid of him. Suddenly, Lotor appears behind him.

“Hello, sweet one”

“Every night you ask me the same question, and every night I give you the same answer. No”

“Worth a shot, will you marry me?”

“You know what, yes. I will.”

“Really?”

“No. Fuck off”

Lotor grimaces at Keith, standing a little too close for comfort. “You’re going to die alone here, and no one will remember you”

And Keith wonders for a second if maybe he might be right.

“Being Forgotten and dead beats having to spend an eternity with you”

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more Pidge later and Shiro isn't dead btw. The next chapter will VERY loosely follow the plot, but not entirely.


End file.
